In the week ending Dec. 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial
claims was 420,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised
figure of 423,000. The 4-week moving average was 426,000, an increase of 2,500
from the previous week's revised average of 423,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.2 percent
for the week ending Dec. 11, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate
of 3.3 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during
the week ending Dec.11 was 4,064,000, a decrease of 103,000 from the preceding
week's revised level of 4,167,000. The 4-week moving average was 4,155,500,
a decrease of 38,250 from the preceding week's revised average of 4,193,750.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted,
totaled 495,587 in the week ending Dec. 18, an increase of 5,311 from the previous
week. There were 565,243 initial claims in the comparable week in 2009.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.3 percent during the
week ending Dec. 11, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week.
The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs
totaled 4,173,407, an increase of 110,889 from the preceding week. A year earlier,
the rate was 4.1 percent and the volume was 5,345,467.

The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending
Dec. 4 was 8,883,578.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 3,281 in the week ending Dec. 11, an increase of 306 from the prior week. There were 2,586 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 293 from the preceding week.

There were 47,578 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending Dec. 4, a decrease of 3,365 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 42,176, a decrease of 1,768 from the prior week.

States reported 3,785,978 persons claiming EUC (Emergency Unemployment Compensation) benefits for the week ending Dec. 4, a decrease of 68,089 from the prior week. There were 4,456,518 claimants in the comparable week in 2009. EUC weekly claims include first, second, third, and fourth tier activity.

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending Dec. 11 were in Kentucky (+1,680), California (+1,202), Iowa (+1,154), Puerto Rico (+935), and Massachusetts (+839), while the largest decreases were in New York (-12,355), North Carolina (-9,951), Georgia (-8,662), Pennsylvania (-8,315), and Washington (-7,929).

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DATA FOR REGULAR STATE PROGRAMS

WEEK ENDING

Advance Dec. 18

Dec. 11

Change

Dec. 4

Prior Year1

Initial Claims (SA)

420,000

423,000

-3,000

423,000

469,000

Initial Claims
(NSA)

495,587

490,276

+5,311

585,678

565,243

4-Wk Moving Average
(SA)

426,000

423,500

+2,500

428,000

479,250

WEEK ENDING

Advance Dec. 11

Dec. 4

Change

Nov. 27

Prior Year1

Ins. Unemployment
(SA)

4,064,000

4,167,000

-103,000

4,114,000

5,185,000

Ins. Unemployment
(NSA)

4,173,407

4,062,518

+110,889

4,216,367

5,345,467

4-Wk Moving Average
(SA)

4,155,500

4,193,750

-38,250

4,233,000

5,332,500

Ins. Unemployment
Rate (SA)2

3.2%

3.3%

-0.1

3.3%

3.9%

Ins. Unemployment Rate
(NSA)2

3.3%

3.2%

+0.1

3.4%

4.1%

INITIAL CLAIMS FILED IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)

WEEK ENDING

Dec. 11

Dec. 4

Change

Prior Year1

Federal Employees

3,281

2,975

+306

2,177

Newly Discharged Veterans

2,586

2,879

-293

2,195

PERSONS CLAIMING UI BENEFITS IN ALL PROGRAMS
(UNADJUSTED)

WEEK ENDING

Dec. 4

Nov. 27

Change

Prior Year1

Regular State

4,046,869

4,202,589

-155,720

5,167,579

Federal Employees (UCFE)

47,578

50,943

-3,365

26,514

Newly Discharged Veterans (UCX)

42,176

43, 944

-1,768

36,163

EUC 20083

3,785,978

3,854,067

-68,089

4,456,518

Extended Benefits4

893,016

977,339

-84,323

387,666

State Additional Benefits 5

4,931

7,957

-3,026

2,264

STC / Workshare 6

63,030

55,077

+7,953

103,574

TOTAL

8,883,578

9,191,916

-308,338

10,180,278

FOOTNOTES
SA - Seasonally Adjusted Data,
NSA -
Not Seasonally Adjusted Data 1 - Prior year is comparable
to most recent data.2 - Most recent week used covered employment of 125,845,577 as denominator.
3 - EUC weekly claims include first, second, third, and fourth tier activity.
Tier-specific EUC data can be found here: http://ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/docs/persons.xls4 - Information on the EB program can be found here: http://www.ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/extenben.asp
5 - Some states maintain additional benefit programs for those claimants who exhaust regular, extended and emergency benefits. Information on states that participate and the extent of benefits can be found starting on page 4-5 of this link: http://ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/pdf/uilawcompar/2010/special.pdf 6 - Information on STC/Worksharing can be found starting on page 4-9 of the following link: http://ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/pdf/uilawcompar/2010/special.pdf

UNADJUSTED INITIAL CLAIMS FOR WEEK ENDED 12/11/2010

STATES WITH A DECREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000

State

Change

State Supplied Comment

NY

-12,355

Fewer layoffs in the construction, service, and transportation
industries.

This information will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon
request. Voice phone: 202-693-4676. TDD Message Phone: 1-800-326-2577.
News releases from the U.S. Department of Labor are accessible on the Internet
at: http://www.dol.gov/ and http://www.ows.doleta.gov/